


Momentary Deviation

by TLynn



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-05
Updated: 2011-07-05
Packaged: 2017-10-21 01:32:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/219417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TLynn/pseuds/TLynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I know that this is where I belong. And more importantly, this is where I want to be."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Momentary Deviation

**Author's Note:**

> Post-ep for 'all-things'.

He walks into his bedroom, the hardwood floor creaking quietly under his steps. It's dark, save for the moonlight   
intermittently shining through the window, marred by the trees swaying in the brisk wind outside. He stops at the   
foot of his bed, standing still, his body tired, his mind alert. Slowly, he lifts his arms and extends them over his   
shoulders, his fingers grabbing at the black cotton of his shirt, and slides it over his head and off onto the bed.   
His skin erupts with gooseflesh and he shivers slightly in response to the cool night air.

He thinks about his choices, about the paths he has walked down. Life was normal until Samantha was taken, an even   
that violently thrust him onto the first significant, and longest, path of his life. His fixation on finding that   
ever-elusive "truth" directed him neatly and easily to an office in the basement of the J. Edgar Hoover Building. It   
was a path he has no intention of wavering from, a path of truths and lies, of guilt and of frustration, a path that   
ripped apart what was left of his family. It opened up a world bigger than himself, bigger than the abduction of his   
sister, a world that was dark and sinister. By all accounts he should be a broken man, weary and defeated, but each   
setback ultimately fueled his passion and each breakthrough doubly so.

A partner reinforced that passion along the way, someone who, upon their first meeting, he nearly dismissed as one   
more in a long line of faceless barricades he'd have to hurdle in his quest. Though assigned to him by the Bureau,   
she could have easily been ditched, leaving him free to concentrate on the tasks at hand. But she quickly got under   
his skin. Now, on this night, as he pictures her sleeping in the next room, he knows just how grateful he is he   
decided to continue on his path with her at his side. He knows how grateful he is that she walked with him then and   
still walks with him now. 'One wrong turn...' He knows the fine line she walked in the duration of the past two days.   
He knows she was alone on her path, knows she came to her own fork, and knows she considered going down another  
road without him. The thought makes him shudder.

"Mulder?"

He turns his head to see her leaning against the doorjamb, only the soft light of his fish tank illuminating her   
features. Her hair is mussed some and her jacket is off. Her feet are covered only in nylons, making her short   
stature all the more evident. She looks sleepy still.

"Hey," he says to her. "You taking off?"

"Mmm," she hums, by way of answering. "Sorry I fell asleep."

"It's okay, Scully. I know you think I'm boring."

She smiles at the joke and pushes herself off the doorjamb to approach him slowly, her eyes still adjusting to the   
dark. There was a time when her move to embrace him would have surprised him some, but now it seems natural, another   
new path of their relationship he happily walks down. Her body language suggests she needs more than a friendly   
squeeze as her arms wrap low around his waist and her head rests firmly against his chest. She feels delicate in his   
arms, fragile almost, and his immediate instinct is one of protection. He holds her to him, his arms tight around her.   
He feels her breath on the bare skin over his pectorals and the warm, short bursts send a shiver through his body.

"Hey, you okay?" he asks.

She nods against him, but says nothing, and her arms tighten around him a bit more. He doesn't say any more and   
turns his head to rest on top of hers, enjoying the moment, reveling in the closeness. He isn't blessed with the   
ability to freely express his feelings for her, except, perhaps while under the influence of painkillers. His self-  
doubt and culpability masterfully keep the words at bay, but his love for her flows through every fiber of his   
being; he can only hope she will see it someday, and know how long it's been brewing.

He doesn't know how much time has passed, nor does he care, when she finally shifts her head and moves it back to look   
at him. A gentle smile plays across his face at her as her eyes meet his, the blue of them evident even in the   
shadows. Her expression is calm and assured and he takes a moment to savor the idea that maybe she is as content as he   
is in their embrace.

"Do you regret any of the choices you've made?" she asks.

"We all have regrets, Scully, but no," he says thoughtfully. "Not if it meant I wouldn't be here with you   
right now."

She beams, her eyes shining with tears, at his words. He mirrors her smile and leans to brush his lips across her   
forehead. He suppresses his surprise when she tilts her head and meets his lips with her own in a soft kiss and   
nearly chokes on it when she opens her mouth beneath him. The kiss deepens quickly, their tongues caressing against   
each other unrestrained, repressed hunger. He feels the panic rise and pulls away for a breath, his heart fiercely   
pounding against his chest, his hands trembling even as he holds her to him. She stays motionless in his arms, her   
chest heaving with deep breaths, her eyes searching his face in an array of emotions that embodies confusion and   
fear, hope and desire.

He opens his mouth to speak, but finds all words escape him. He finds himself unable to fathom the apparent reality   
before him, that she may indeed want him just as much as he wants her.

"I realized something extraordinary today, Mulder. Things have never been so clear to me. I don't know what tomorrow   
will, or can, hold for us, but if nothing else, I know that this is where I belong. And more importantly, this is where   
I want to be. You have to trust that."

"But..."

"You have to know that," she says quietly, firmly.

He nods. He knows. He dips his head and again captures her mouth with his, finally allowing himself to release all he   
feels and finally allowing himself to receive all she has to give.

Their clothing is shed and pools at their feet. They lay together, limbs upon limbs, sinking and rising into one   
another. The room fills with the sounds of their breath and the warmth of their bodies. Their combined years of   
loneliness makes for moments of awkwardness, but the intoxication of a union finally realized overshadows any   
embarrassment. She gasps beneath him and he cries out above her. He collapses beside her, his head buried safely   
against her neck. He inhales her scent deeply, content and consumed. He quickly falls asleep, deep and undisturbed,   
while she pulls a cover over them and enters into a fitful slumber.

She wakes long before he does. She sits up, careful not to disturb him, and stares down at his sleeping form, silently   
watching him and savoring the significance of the moment, for a very long time before rising. She dresses in the   
bathroom, hoping he doesn't wake. She knows it will be easier if no words are spoken. She forces the tasks of the   
upcoming day into her mind and quietly makes her exit.

For one night, the paths that make up the twisted labyrinth of their lives were finally in perfect synchronicity. They   
will undoubtedly wander from each other while searching for their own truths, perhaps emotionally, perhaps physically,   
in the harsh reality of daylight, but always with the knowledge of that night and always with the unwavering   
belief that they will indeed find themselves going in the same direction once again.

* * *  
end

**Author's Note:**

> This is dedicated to my dear friend Sallie. And thanks go out to my once and again beta, Robin. Your support and   
> careful eye mean the world to me!


End file.
